


Helpless

by Whispatchet



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2020-07-25 20:14:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20031688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whispatchet/pseuds/Whispatchet
Summary: He was tired of running. Tired of starving. He couldn't keep this up. But she wouldn't listen... no one would listen.He just wanted to sleep...





	1. Nightmare King

**Author's Note:**

> This was one of those things that you need to get out of your brain so it leaves you alone :) Enjoy

He was so…. Tired.

Thousands of years of this, and the only thing that had changed was his size. At least back then, when he was small, he could hide in so many more places. Even something as small as a bucket could hide him from prying eyes. Though, perhaps he did more damage as an infant than now.

It was always the same. He would wander, and find somewhere to stay, only to be chased out by angry inhabitants. It happened no matter which side of the divide he went to. At least the Pokemon side meant he was less likely to take a pitchfork to the ribs. Again.

They called him the Nightmare King. Wicked. Evil. He thought it was wretchedly unfair.

He'd never meant to hurt anyone, really. When he was small, they would lose sight of him and give up the chase eventually, but the bigger he got, the more determined they seemed. They took longer and longer to give up. And once, the humans chasing him had even thrown a pokeball at him. 

And those few seconds inside that thing were enough to keep him out of the human world for a century.

So, he tried fighting back. Turning to face them, making himself seem as big as he could, snarling at them, taking swipes with his clawed hands, and making the air around himself dark and cold. And, once he learned how, attacking with his other powers, too. 

This proved to be a much faster tactic. The humans and Pokemon alike would flee in the face of attacks like his, giving him the chance to get away, and start his search for a new hiding place. It was getting harder and harder to do. Humans and Pokemon both were getting more bold. 

And on top of all that… sleep didn't come to him easily.

His nightmares hadn't been of much when he was little. Just stinging hunger pains and bitter cold winds, both of which he had kind of become numb to these days. But now, he had lots of things to be afraid of. Pokeballs, pointy things…. Her… 

Almost every time he closed his eyes he dreamed of her. Cresselia. The Queen of Light. Floating down from a rainbow in the sky to 'save the day'... swipes of her pink wings sending blades of white fire to cut through his flesh, and a shout from her beak bringing forth a beam that burned straight through him. The number of times he had seen himself die at her hand was enough to make him flinch at even the slightest hint of a rainbow after it had rained. 

And even when he didn't dream of her, it was something else. Humans attacking him, or trapping him in those awful, claustrophobia inducing balls. Other Pokemon capturing him in a cage, or putting him in chains, taking it in turns to beat him until he was bloody. 

By the Ancient One what he wouldn't give to dream of being small and hungry again.

It meant that for the most part, he only slept for perhaps an hour or two at a time. At best. Fatigue was his only companion, the dark circles under his eyes perhaps unnoticed by other creatures.

He wasn't ignorant, though. He knew why they hated him so much. When he slept, he was not alone in his nightmares. Every sleeping creature anywhere near him when he was sleeping fitfully would be tormented themselves, from all accounts, by just as horrible visions.

Never, not once, had anyone let him explain himself. The Nightmare King was not… doing it on purpose. But Dark type Pokemon were inherently mistrusted… and those of lighter dispositions were all too keen to think the worst of him.

Just once……. It would be nice for someone to…. Give him a chance.


	2. Running Again

His clawed hands gouged deep channels into the dirt as he woke with a strangled gasp. 

He had found the hollow of an old tree, some ways out of town, which was warm and dry enough for him to give his body some rest even if his mind wouldn't. Though it seemed like he didn't even get that, given how he was face down in the dirt just outside of the tree.

He sat up, and rubbed his face with his hands, hoping that the action would make him feel more awake, even if it hadn't worked the last 50 times. He wasn't sure how long he had managed this time. It was still dark. 

If there were Pokemon living in the forest nearby, or the surrounding fields, they would have suffered his influence, but…. It was better than being too close to the town. Towns were bad news.

Towns, at least the bigger ones, had something called a Dream Beacon. It was somewhere between a lighthouse and a distress call. When lit, it would shine a soft pink light over the area, and hum in a way that only Cresselia seemed to be able to hear. If the Beacon was lit, then she would come running. Because if the Beacon was lit, it meant he had been spotted. It meant he had fallen asleep too close to the town… and nightmares were rampant.

It was why he tended to avoid towns if he could help it. There wasn't much point going into them most of the time. If he just strolled in during the day he would cause a panic. If he snuck in after dark, he might doze off.

Having said that, he did go into towns occasionally. For food, mostly. A berry here and there that he could forage was fine for a little nibble, but when his belly was loud enough to wake him from his troubled sleep, he needed a little more than that. 

He'd gotten better at not getting caught stealing from shops since he learned to melt into the shadows. But the whole process was a delicate balancing act. Too long since his last nap would put him at risk of falling asleep inside the town. Too close to dawn meant he would be seen as he made his escape.

He pulled his hands away from his face and put them on his belly. A loaf of bread would have been brilliant right now. Or a pumpkin pie maybe. Ancient One have mercy, at this stage even the strange preserved foods from the human side of the divide would have been shoved into his mouth with no hesitation.

He sighed, and pulled himself up on weak legs, before withdrawing them and floating away from his temporary shelter. 

Town it was.

As he drew close, he could tell most were still asleep. There was sort of a… hum, when people were sleeping near him. Pleasant dreams made a high pitched sound. Nightmares, more of a low pitched one. He assumed that nightmares he had made hummed at the same pitch as the ones he hadn't. Though ones he hadn't were very uncommon. On this side, at least.

He slinked over to a store and peered through the window. Bakeries were his favourite stores. Warm bread and pies and pastries were just… so appealing to him. He hadn't managed to steal a warm pastry since he was tiny. But yesterday's leftover pie was still a feast to the starving Nightmare King.

They posed something of a danger though. Bakers got up early to start baking before their customers were awake. And they were very bright and aware at that time of day. They were usually the ones to catch him if he dawdled too much.

He slid into the store, shadows letting him pass through the door without the key. And the smell of fresh bread immediately collapsed upon him. His stomach practically roared with impatience. He quickly moved behind the counter and looked at yesterday's unsold goods. They had been bagged up and placed on the shelves under the counter, not uncommon. Looked like maybe two loaves of bread per bag.

Just…. The one bag. They won't notice that. He thought, a trembling hand reaching out to snag it.

The intention had been to grab the bag and then make a break for it, taking the stolen goods far out of town before letting himself eat it. But, as he snatched it up, his eager claws tore the paper, and the bread loaves fell to the floor.  
He gasped, and hurriedly reached down to grab them, but hit his head on the counter, with a loud BANG that filled the bakery. He grasped at his head and snarled in pain, mind ringing, vision swimming. 

"Who's there?!" A voice called from the stairs, making his heart freeze in his chest. 

He recoiled from the counter, crashing loudly into the empty bread shelves behind him. Meal forgotten, his only option right now was to run. Leave the food and run, no matter how hungry he was…! He made a break for the door, clumsily damaging the frame with his claws as he forced it open and fled down the street.

But it hadn't been fast enough to avoid being seen by the Chimchar that came sprinting down the stairs, ready for a fight.

"DARKRAI!" He heard them holler behind him as he floated as fast as he could go towards the city limits. "Darkrai is here!! LIGHT THE BEACON!!"  
He dared glimpse over his shoulder, spotting the panicking fire type streaking down the street in the other direction, towards the pink and gold tower not far away.

A terrified shudder split through his body. He had been doing so well…!! It had been so long since he had Cresselia set on him… and he hadn't even given anyone nightmares this time….!

He continued to run, even as the soft pink light hit his back and filled his heart with cold dread. He had to get as far away as possible. He couldn't fight her, he knew he couldn't fight her..!!

The sky ahead of him started to lighten. Pink, then gold, and then an array of colours that made him stop in his tracks. He had been…. Running straight towards her?! And so soon!! She must have been close by…!!

Before he could figure out which direction to run in, the path ahead of him exploded into a cloud of dust and debris. He shielded his face with his arms, offering a weak cough as it faded enough for him to look up.

"There you are, fiend!" The light, ethereal voice declared as she floated down from her rainbow towards him. "I knew you would not be able to contain your horrid nature forever!"

He wasn't bad, Cresselia, he wasn't! Just… let him explain..! He opened his mouth, a wordless growl all he could manage. Damn it, that wasn't going… to make him seem less threatening!!  
"Silence your beastial noises! You have no place among decent and intelligent folk!" Cresselia declared, definitely meeting the stereotype of the righteous hero. "At last I will end your reign of terror on the land, Nightmare King!"

The tilt of her head was all he needed to see to know that beam attack was coming. He turned to the right and made a run for it, throwing balls of darkness at the ground to kick up debris and serve to disrupt her aim. He wasn't entirely convinced that he would survive if that attack hit him!!

She fired her attack, and it missed his tail by hardly an inch. It caused the ground to explode into light, which tossed him forward, skidding through the grass before colliding with one of the trees at the edge of the forest.  
He whimpered, pain shooting through him.

"You will not escape me again, Darkrai!" Cresselia announced, giving chase.

Slowly, he pulled himself up to his hands and knees and dragged himself around the tree into the shadows. He looked at his battered hand for a moment. _Ancient One…. please give me enough strength…. To make that journey again…._ He thought.

He couldn't out run Cresselia. Not like this. But…. if he could just get some distance between them…

He took a small swipe at the air in front of him, his claws leaving behind a purple shimmer. He pushed off from the tree and flung himself at it, falling through the air, body becoming enveloped by the shimmer.

He completely vanished, hardly a moment before the tree erupted into splinters.


	3. Glimmer of Hope

He came to with massive pain in his… everything. His head was throbbing, his back was killing him, his throat was sore, and his stomach was tight. But if nothing else, pain meant he was alive, so… at least he had that.

Slowly, he raised his head. He seemed to be under a bush, in some sort of…. Park.

Oh.

Well, he had tried to escape across the divide, but he hadn't had the time or the energy to really think of where in the human world he should appear. In the middle of a park, in the middle of a huge human city would not have been his first choice.

He would very much liked to have slept for a week. But he couldn't. He'd never get that much and if he slept here, the nightmares would summon Cresselia to his location across the divide in ten seconds flat. She could make that trip just as easily as he could… easier… and she would have no trouble finishing him off now. 

So instead, he needed to disguise himself, and try and get out of the city.

While humans and Pokemon had long shared this side of the divide, it wasn't particularly well known what the Eternal Ones, like himself, could do here. They knew about the earth shattering power, the prophecies, the destined ones, and all that sort of thing, but they certainly weren't the types to sit on a mountain all day and wait for destiny to come. 

Pokemon were generally too curious for things like that.

So they disguised themselves. Creating clever human forms so they could walk undisturbed among the people, listen to their stories, see their towns, watch their Pokemon battles. They all did it.

Some of them were more overt than others.

For his part, he had tried to make his disguise fairly stealthy. A human male, with a black jacket and red shirt. His normal blue eyes and white hair. Non threatening, nothing special. That was the most sensible way for it.

Unfortunately changing into his human disguise did not lessen the pain he was in. He grasped at his side as if that would help, and started to plod across the grass towards the park gates.

This park, as it so happened, was a Pokemon park. Very common for people to bring their Pokemon here for battles and play. As such, it made sense for there to be a Pokemon Centre and Pokemart right outside the gates.

He paused outside the blue store, looking in through the glass. Perhaps he could shoplift a berry, or a potion even. He'd had potions before, they had gotten better and better over the years. But he felt weird for taking them. Didn't feel…. Natural to heal like that. Though, it would be nice to get some strength back.

He stepped into the store, and shuddered a little at the air conditioned interior. They always made these places so cold!  
He headed over to where the potions and other medicines were, and pondered where the humans working in the store were, and where their magic eyes in the roof were positioned. He looked at the shelf of pink and red bottles, when another shelf with blue labeling caught his eye, as well as the word NEW! In big red letters.  
He had never been good at reading. But it looked like it might have said 'PP' with a down arrow.

"Hey man, can I help you?" One of the staff piped up as he rounded the corner. "Are you looking for something in particular?"  
He could have jumped out of his skin. He turned to face the human and tapped his throat, before shaking his head. 

There was a moment of silence between them. "Oh! You're mute?"  
He nodded. Thankfully, this set of charades was one he had done a lot.  
There was an understanding smile from the store clerk. "Well I will do my best to help you anyway. Were you looking for something today?"

He shook his head, but then pointed at the blue bottles, a questioning look on his face.  
"Oh these? It's a new product that was released this week. It's called PP Down. It was designed for people that like to train their Pokemon without their special abilities, making them only use their bodies. It's kind of like an off switch for Pokemon powers until you go to a Pokemon Centre."

His eyes widened. An…...Off switch?!

"It's ah… kind of hitting some controversy so far. Sales haven't been great. But if you have fighting types and don't want them to accidentally resort to using their special abilities then this is the product for you. Also seems useful if you need to take a skittish fire type into a wooden building. That kind of thing."  
He turned and looked at the bottles, stunned.  
"......Did you…. Want to buy one?"

He started, and shook his head. He couldn't pay for anything even if he wanted to. But…. an off switch for your powers…. Was it all your powers? Would it… would it mean that if he took it… he could stop hurting people?! The thought was all consuming.

"Ah." The clerk responded. "Did you want my help looking for anything else?"  
Another shake of the head. Go away. Get out of sight so I can take this miracle potion and leave!!  
The human smiled at him. "Okay. Not a worry. Feel free to grab one of us if you need any help."

He watched him until he had rounded the corner, and then two breaths after. Then, he stepped close, and shoved one of the bottles under his jacket. Prize acquired, he hobbled for the door, breaking into a sprint when the anti theft alarms went off. The humans were chasing him, one of them throwing a Pokeball and a Growlith appearing from it to chase him. Humans he could outrun with a head start, a Growlith, less so. He dove into a nearby bush, and shed his disguise, popping back out of the bush with a snarl, trying to hide how hurt he was by being as frightening as he could.

It had the desired effect. The Growlith yelped in terror and made off back towards the Pokemart at a sprint, tail between its legs, or at least as much as the fluff it called a tail could do.

He sighed, and started to head off towards another tree. If he took this here, and it worked, he would be inside one of those horrid little balls before he knew it. Even though he was frightened to go back with Cresselia so recently on his trail…. He would rather be in a cage than in a ball. 

So, he made a less panicked trip back across the divide, aiming for somewhere far away from that last town… where she had been.


	4. Southern Grass

He had a rather rough landing, into some tall grass. It was a light golden colour, but still soft. This was definitely far away… this was really quite far to the south. Further than he had been in years.

After whimpering on the grass for a few moments, he sat up and looked at the bottle clutched in his claws, looking it over. The off switch. If it worked, of course. That human seemed to think it worked, though he didn't seem to think it should. To them, taking away a Pokemon's powers surely defeated the point. 

But…. if it meant his nightmares would not spread, then, he could hide. He could hide and no one would ever find him again. 

The little bottle was very… boring. Glass, with a blue label, and a blue liquid inside. His eyes were too tired to focus on the human writing on the back as much as he would have liked, but he was pretty sure it said 'to be taken orally'.

So, he twisted off the top and put it to his lips. It didn't smell great. But it was his best chance…!!

He downed the liquid, gulping it down, trying to not let it touch his tongue.

At first, he didn't feel any different. But then a tremor shuddered through his body, bringing in its wake a distinct, dizzy, wrong feeling. He wobbled as he tried and failed to stay upright, heaving up some of the blue liquid and the great lot of nothing else in his stomach, before flopping back onto the soft grass, body convulsing.  
The sky looked black as his body pitched and writhed under it, that horrid feeling seeping into every fibre of his being. He snarled and howled in pain. He didn't…. Want to die…! He just…. Wanted…..!

He coughed and spluttered as he threw up again, this time, blood accompanying the blue stained bile, giving it a somewhat purple, marbled look. It splattered on his chin and collar, and sent shivers through him.

The violent convulsions slowly calmed, his body fading into sporadic twitches. He sobbed softly, pain, hunger, and this horrid… awful…. Wrong feeling overwhelming his tired mind.

And…. just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, a voice suddenly drifted across the grass. 

"Are you….. Okay?"

\- - - - - - - 

Aipom and Jumpluff had been friends for ever. When they had been little, they had been trouble makers for sure. But these days, they liked to think they had straightened their act up. They belonged to one of the best guilds in the south region, and had been on lots of rescue and exploration missions. This one didn't seem any different.

There had been reports of strange happenings in the sky over the fields West of their guild town. There were any number of things that sky patterns could mean. Their logic was, if there was anything dangerous going on with that sky, they'd need fast and strong to be able to either deal with it, or deal with it enough to run away.

Aipom had decided he hated the long grass. "This stuff…. It's too tall!!"  
Jumpluff was floating above it, not hindered at all. "You might be too short, Ammy."  
"Can it, Jum!"  
She giggled, and turned her pink eyes towards the sky. "It really has gone all funny. Purple n such."  
"It's offputtin', that's what it is." Aipom remarked. "The patterns kinda look like cracks in ice."  
"Yeah. Like when Furret nearly fell through last winter."  
Aipom couldn't help but snort at that.

Suddenly, the purple 'cracks' in the sky seemed to worsen. Just like ice cracking under too much weight, it spidered across the sky's surface as far as the pair could see. And then, in the distance, they heard a crash… and the sky started to heal.

Jumpluff floated down to be closer to Aipom. "W...what was…. All that?!"  
"I am really not stoked t' be findn' out… but… we DO have t' have something t' report back to th' Guild…" He told her, hand on his tail gently resting on her side. "H..how 'bout y' just float higher… n' see if you ken see anythin'. Sound good? That way y' don' have t' get close."

She drew in a breath, before letting it out as a sigh. "Okay. I will see what I can see." The grass type gathered her courage, and then floated up, high above the grass, looking around to see the source of the crash they had heard. 

Aipom watched his partner's expression as she locked her eyes onto a shape in the distance. Disbelief and fear were what he saw initially, though he watched it shift to concern, before horrid snarls and roars touched the air.  
They made him shudder, his fur standing all up on end. "....Jum?" He called up. Her face still seemed frightened, but, whatever it had been, seemed to be calming, and that concern was creeping back. "What can y' see?"

She drifted back down to him. "....I…. think…. It might be…. Darkrai." She whispered.  
Aipom's tail flopped limply to the ground in terror. "Here?! Oh Mew we're… not safe if we stay here… come on..!"  
"Ammy…" Jumpluff interrupted him.. ".....He's… Not going to hurt us I don't think."  
Aipom looked at her like she was insane. "What are you talking about?!"  
"....I think I saw… Him throw up blood." She told him. "He's… Hurt. Sick."  
"Isn't that a good thing!?"

She frowned at him. "I remember being hurt and sick. When I was a Hoppip."  
"You're not th' Nightmare King, Jum!!"  
The blue creature frowned and floated up. "I want to…. See if he is okay. I…. I would… feel guilty if I didn't."  
"He wouldn't feel the same for you!"

"I'm… going to go check." She said, tone firm, floating out of Aipom's reach before he could grab her and hold her back.  
"Jumpluff!!" He whimpered, huddling close to the ground as she floated over to the twitching Nightmare King.

As she got closer, what she saw was even worse than she thought. The wrong, blue guff on his chest and chin smelled foul, and there was definitely blood in there. He looked almost pale, which was concerning for a creature that was a dark grey. And he was sobbing. For all his ghastly appearance she knew heartfelt sobs when she heard them. Her heart went out to him. He looked wretched. Pitiful. How did a creature said to be heartless and powerful end up looking like…. 

She drew in a deep breath. "Are you…. Okay?" She called.

She watched his eyes open in alarm and lock onto her fearfully. Her cotton puffs trembled. There was something very not right about those blue eyes. He whimpered, and tried to force his body up. When he couldn't, he instead tried to pull himself away. 

The sight made Jumpluff frown. Darkrai… this surely was he. But he…. Seemed…. Scared? Of… her? That was so backwards it wasn't funny.

She drifted closer. "It's okay. I won't hurt you." She promised him, those petrified blue eyes dilating as they locked onto her. "You're hurt. We can help."  
He let out a pitiful whine, teeth gnashing, like he was trying to frighten her off.

She rustled her cotton puffs. "Here….I'll put you to sleep." She said gently, Sleep Powder drifting from her arms and down over the wounded creature below.

_"N... o…"_ A hoarse, strained voice whispered. _"A...anything……but… that…"_


	5. For the Best

Scizor was not at all sure what to make of this. Jumpluff and Aipom were not above doing stupid things in order to complete their missions but this was outlandish, even for them. Summoning a medical evacuation team to the area they had been sent to investigate was not that unusual…. But the patient certainly was. 

Jumpluff seemed oddly adamant too. Aipom at least maintained sensible caution.

The Guildmaster could at least, not argue with the fact that the Nightmare King looked sickly. It was not in the natures of most Pokemon to be cruel, and leaving anyone to die alone in the state Darkrai was in was not something anyone wanted in their histories. The Blissey and her Clafairy apprentices he had sent to the summons had returned with him in the stretcher equal parts terrified and near to bursting with the urge to heal him.

Scizor could hardly deny them.

Which is how he now had, in the lowermost parts of the Guildhouse, Darkrai, of all people, laying on a bed of straw, body covered in bandages and poultices, Blissey carefully and slowly dripping medicine into his maw. 

"What are your thoughts, Blissey?" He asked, quietly.  
She looked up. "He hasn't roused, not even a little bit." She told him. "Jumpluff said she used Sleep Powder, but that should have worn off long ago."  
Scizor took a seat on a log near their head doctor. "You think it's due to the state he is in?"  
"Absolutely!" She declared. "He is too weak to even swallow! It's why I have to do this so slowly… the natural impulse to swallow just isn't happening, and if I pour anything more than what his tongue can absorb, he'll choke on it!"

Scizor sighed and tapped his claws onto his thin knees. "This is quite distressing. Lady Cresselia is the only person I can think of that would be able to wound Darkrai, but sickness is not typically her style."  
Blissey looked up from her patient. "....Have you lit the Beacon, Guildmaster?"  
He nodded. "I have. She is far away, so it will take her some time to get here. Even for her. We have to try and contain him for at least a few weeks."  
"Contain him? He can hardly move! He won't be able to fight back in this state." The healer warned.  
"....Ghn… that is what makes this so complicated. I don't want any harm to come to Lady Cresselia, but… this… is so pitiful. Would she kill someone in this state?"  
"I would object if her intention was to kill him!!"

He gave her a questioning look. "She has been trying to do so for thousands of years, Bliss."  
The fairy looked about as upset at the notion as he expected. That is to say, quite a lot.  
"Then you should douse the Beacon at once!"

He shook his head. "I can't do that. She's already on her way. Besides… who is to say he will not attack us once he has recovered?"  
"What a horrible attitude, Scizor!!"

He sighed and slumped in his seat. "....It is, isn't it." Frankly it left a bitter taste in his mouth. "I will… give him a few days. If he does not seem hostile once he has started to recover, then I will douse the Beacon. Perhaps we can make a good impression on him."

Blissey swelled with pride, very pleased with that decision.

\- - - - - - - - - 

Three days passed and Darkrai had still not roused. Jumpluff had dragged Aipom to the Guildhouse to check on him every day feeling somewhat… responsible for the never ending sleep.  
She sighed as she watched the dark barrel chest rise and fall comfortably.  
"Well." Aipom said gently. "At least he is breathing better today. Th' rattle is gone."  
She gave her partner a look. "You're just trying to make me feel better."  
"Well, yeh, ah guess." He admitted. "But, he's sleepin' well, y' gotta admit. Maybeh he… needed it?"

Jumpluff looked back at him. "That is the part that does not make sense. Is he not the Nightmare King? What need would he have for sleep?"  
Aipom froze as the creature in the bed stretched. For a fleeting moment, it looked like he was going to wake up…. But instead, he just rolled over and continued to sleep, taking deep, even breaths, eyes completely still under their lids.  
"...He's not even dreaming, Ammy." Jumpluff observed.

A sudden, loud grumble made the two adventurers jump with fright. They both looked at Darkrai in fear, but found he was still asleep, the slightest frown appearing on his features before it faded back to the relaxed neutral expression. "Did we… almost wake him?" Aipom whispered.  
There was another grumble, and the pair realised what it was at the same moment. "....It's his belly." Jumpluff whispered, disbelief on her features. "He's starving."

"Can't eat if he's asleep."  
"Then…" The grass type puffed out her cheeks. "Then we will need to wake him."  
Aipom sighed. "And here I thought your insanity was temporary." He complained. "I will get some grub together. You get Blissey and Scizor. Do not, for th' love o Mew use Aromatherapy on 'im without backup!"  
"Alright alright, I won't!! Sheesh!"

The Healer and Guildmaster were not hard to find. Blissey was immediately on board with the idea but Scizor was hesitant. While he was asleep, he was harmless. But awake, who knew what he would do.  
However, Jumpluff and Blissey were also correct in their statements that healing his wounds and sickness was moot if they let him starve to death.

"Alright, alright. We will go together."

The two females looked thrilled.

So there they were, the four of them in Darkrai's room, Aipom sitting near the door with a crate of food, Blissey standing at the head of his bed, and Scizor seated in the middle of the room. Jumpluff was floating above him, nervous, but determined.  
"Whenever you are ready, dear." Blissey encouraged.

Jumpluff relaxed a little and smiled at the healer, before shaking her cotton puffs, releasing a soft scent, to pull him out of his deep slumber.  
It took a long time for him to open his eyes, every part of him resisting being pulled from sleep. He winced, and those tired, vague, blue eyes opened, and he stared at the ceiling. 

"Hello."

Jumpluff's voice pulled a strangled gasp out of the weak dark type, and those tired eyes locked onto her. He weakly shuffled through the straw.  
She watched him sadly. "It's okay… we won't hurt you."

You could see the words processing slowly. 'We' in particular. Slowly, his eyes moved around the room, picking out the three other Pokemon in the room. He whimpered, and shuffled back for them, into the wooden wall. Though even that was a weak and pitiful attempt.

Aipom grimaced. This was just sad. He picked a bread roll out of the crate with the hand on his tail, and trotted cautiously over to the frightened creature. He held it out like a peace offering. "We… thought you might be hungry." He said, every bit of his courage in the small phrase.

He looked at it suspiciously. No one had ever….. Given him food before. But even as he was thinking he should be suspicious, his hand was slowly reaching out to take it.  
As their hands were close, there was a small flinch from them both, but then Darkrai all but snatched the roll up, and tore into it, famished.  
Blissey smiled. "He has gotten stronger, at least. This is good. I will prepare some more medicine. He should be able to take it himself."

Scizor nodded. "Please do, Bliss."

Darkrai paused in the destruction of the bread to watch the fairy leave the room. He frowned a little.  
Scizor also watched Blissey leave. When she was gone, he turned his eyes back to their guest.  
"We have brought lots of food for you." He said, motioning to the crate. "Please eat as much as you like."  
The blue eyes squinted at the crate in the distance. His eyes felt… fuzzy and distorted.  
"Ammy, bring the crate close so he can help himself." Jumpluff suggested. "He shouldn't have to get up just yet."  
Aipom nodded, and scampered back to the crate, moving it across the room until it was right beside the bed.  
He was watched the entire time. Mistrusting blue eyes trying to focus and failing. But now that it was close, he could see the fruits and vegetables and breads that they had packed for him. He trembled with hunger and confusion. Hunger winning out and having him dive for the contents, and eating with increasing fervor.

By the time Blissey came back, he had eaten most of the food, and was coughing slightly, having eaten the latest apple too fast. "Has quite the appetite then, has he?" She had a small tray with her, medicine and water on its surface.

"The way he was eating you would think he hasn't eaten in weeks." Scizor remarked. "But even having eaten he seems to have recovered some strength."  
She nodded. "Good." She came close, not oblivious to the way he froze with fear. "Here." She said, holding out the glass of medicine. "This will help you recover your strength."  
He was hesitant. But, slowly took the glass in both hands, and sipped at it.

It tasted like cherries. He drank down the rest quite willingly.

The guild members watched as he timidly handed back the glass, and opened his mouth to speak. But only growling chuffed sounds come out.  
Aipom shivered. "Is…. he trying to intimidate us or thank us?"  
Scizor tapped his chin with a claw in thought. "Most of the legends say that the Nightmare King isn't sentient the same way we are." He mused. Darkrai looked a little insulted. "So, perhaps he cannot speak?" The Guildmaster finished.  
"I don't think that's true, Scizor." Jumpluff said, making Darkrai looked to her with surprise on his face. "I heard him speak."

"You heard words in all that?" Aipom wondered.  
She shook her head. "No. But before. When I was putting him to sleep. He spoke."

Blissey looked her patient over. "Speaking of sleep, we should clear out so the dear can get some more."  
Darkrai shook his head. He didn't want to have nightmares right now…. Not with so many people around!  
Blissey gently pushed him back down into the warm hay. "Come now, you will recover far better with rest." 

He whimpered in protest, but between the warm bed, the full belly, and the medicine, he was finding it hard to resist. His eyes were already drooping.

She smiled, and waved at the others to depart. "Come now, let's let him sleep."  
Scizor nodded in agreement. "I believe that would be for the best."


	6. Restless

The next few days were very similar for the members of the Guild watching the Nightmare King. He would sleep and sleep, until roused to be given food and medicine, before sleeping some more. It took a whole three days before he started being well enough for his body to think about waking on his own.

Scizor had the whole town on alert too. Any nightmare, no matter how small, was to be reported. 

Not that the Guildmaster thought the dark type was in any state to be inflicting anything, but just to be sure…

Though there was not even one reported in the week that they had Darkrai asleep in their Guild House.

Blissey approached him. "Scizor? I think we should encourage him to start moving around."  
He tilted his head to one side in confusion. "What? Why?"  
"Staying in bed all the time isn't good for him." She responded. "Bedsores are a very real and painful thing!"   
He pulled a face. "I don't know… what if he makes a run for it? We will have lost him, and Lady Cresselia…"  
"THAT'S another thing, Sci." The healer cut across him. "I want you to douse that beacon."  
He frowned. "I can't, Bliss."

She puffed herself up. "Can! Should!" Was the retort. "If she comes here, she'll kill him!"  
"....I know. I know, Bliss."  
"It's not right!" She continued. "And you know full well that he has never raised a claw to harm anyone here."  
"He's weak. Probably not stupid."

Blissey scoffed. "Then what was that nonsense about him not being sentient like we are?"  
Scizor winced. "Th...that wasn't me saying that, it's…. Just part of the story surrounding him is all…"

She shook her head. "If you won't, I am going to break ranks and I will. I won't put one of my patients at risk like that, Sci."

He groaned slightly. "Bliss….." But then he sighed. "How about this…. Let's take him for a walk outside…. And depending on what he does…. We douse it. Okay?"  
She folded her arms disapprovingly, but nodded. "I suppose that is acceptable."

He nodded. "Do you want to take him out now? The weather is nice."  
Blissey finally allowed herself a smile. "Now would do fine. Did you want to join me?"  
"Suppose I should."

\- - - - - - - -

He was dreadfully confused. 

He felt… strange. It was sort of… energetic and… comfortable. But he didn't know how to describe it.   
His mind was clearer than it had been in years. Surely he'd been knocked unconscious, or the medicine was wiping his memory. Because he didn't… remember any nightmares.

Which was weird.

Then again, he also felt… strangely empty. Hollow. Missing something. It was another feeling he couldn't describe. But the overwhelmingly strange comfortable feeling was far more striking. Perhaps it was all the food they kept giving him.

He still hadn't worked out why.

He'd tried asking. His voice had never been strong, but he just couldn't manage to get the words out. Just the same growls and chuffs.. though his caretakers surprisingly didn't seem offput by them any more. The Jumpluff in particular made a game out of trying to decipher each of the wordless noises.

What her fascination with him was, he wasn't sure.

The room they were keeping him in was strange, too. He was put up in a warm bed, in a nice room with a window, bookshelf full of books, a desk, a comfortable chair, some paintings on the walls, and a warm rug. It even had curtains!  
It… was a guest room… not a prison cell. No bars or anything! Just a… normal door. To be quite fair, they did lock him in, but it wasn't as though he couldn't have broken it down or gone out the window had he really put in the effort.

Why?

Why weren't they treating him like a criminal? Why was this place so… why were they being so nice to him? It didn't make sense!

Still… it was a nice change. It… must have been what normal folk felt like. A comfortable bed and a roof, food… The bizarre absence of hunger. And this other feeling that he didn't have a word for. Strangely… energetic.

He pulled himself out of the bed when he woke, feeling restless. He stretched his legs as he put them on the floor, finding that he couldn't pull them into himself like he normally would, and couldn't hover, either. He didn't have a lot of experience on his actual feet, having found floating above the ground to be faster, and less likely to step on something he'd rather not do some time ago. So, as he stood, he wobbled, taking his time to find his balance, before slowly and deliberately plodding towards the bookcase. He didn't like reading, it never having been something he had been good at, but he wanted to do something other than just lay there. He'd not stayed in the same place for so long before, let alone doing basically nothing.

He didn't know what any of these books were about, and the first few he pulled off the shelf made him wrinkle his nose in disappointment. Ugh, words. Lots and lots of tiny words. He squinted his blue eyes at the pages, trying to make out what they were.  
How did people read these?!

He gave up and put those books aside, on the surface of the nearby desk, before looking at some of the others. Hopefully, they weren't all going to be like that…

Thankfully, to his great relief, the next book he chose was not full of words. It had a few lines here and there, but was mostly big, colourful pictures that filled the pages. He grinned, and with a sound that was very close to a purr, he slid down to the floor and started 'reading' the book.

\- - - - - - -

When Blissey and Scizor approached his door, the Guildmaster made the fairy stop as she pulled out the key to the room.  
"Wh… why are you stopping me?" She huffed.  
"Shh. Listen." He told her, leaning close to the door.  
Blissey tilted her head to one side, confused, but did the same, listening.

From inside the room, there were quiet chuffs and growls, the sounds they had come to recognise as Darkrai trying to communicate. They had an odd cadence to them, they weren't afraid or confused like they were used to, instead, they rumbled with a light purr, and sounded… content. Almost cheerful.

Scizor leant back from the door with a confused frown, and gently tried the handle. It was locked, just as it should have been.  
"Who is he talking to?" He wondered.  
Blissey offered a thoughtful hum, and leant her ear further against the timber door. "...There is no other voice." She whispered in reply. "Just his."  
"Hopefully no one has broken in…" He mused, taking his own key, and quietly unlocking the door. He pulled it open a crack, and the two guild members peered inside.

It was all Blissey could do to not squeal.

Darkrai was laying on the floor on the rug, comfortably on his belly. His thin legs were kicking idly, and he had five of the picture books from the shelf spread around him. One of them was open in front of him, and he was 'reading' out loud to himself, pointing out things in the pictures with a gentle tap of a clawed finger. He seemed to be ignoring the writing completely.

The overwhelming urge to douse the Dream Beacon hit Scizor rather forcefully. He had already been nursing the seed of doubt (Blissey's nagging not withstanding) about keeping it lit. Darkrai had harmed none of them in his time here, caused no nightmares, and basically acted like…. Well, like a scared child. The childlike behaviour he was seeing now was only reinforcing that. 

He was supposed to be thousands of years old darn it, why was the Nightmare King making him feel like a parent looking after a tiny larva?! He shouldn't be… acting like this!

He straightened and pushed the door open a bit more, the hinges letting out a loud creak as he did so.

Darkrai let out a startled shriek, and scrambled off the rug on his hands and knees to hide behind the armchair, damaging the book in the process as he fled over it.

Blissey gasped. "Oh…. oh dear…"  
Scizor winced. "I'm sorry, we didn't…. Mean to startle you, Darkrai."  
The response was a small whimper from behind the chair.

Blissey moved past the guildmaster, and plodded into the room, moving to peer around the plush chair. "I didn't know you liked to read." She said gently.  
Terrified blue eyes looked up at her from where he was huddled, squished into a basically non existent space between the chair and the wall. Blissey smiled at him gently, and the dark type did relax a fraction, recognising her. "It's alright." She told him in her kind voice. "You're welcome to read the books as much as you like."

He relaxed a little more, glad that he was not in trouble.  
"Why don't you come out from behind there, dear?"

He hesitated, but nodded, and slowly pulled out from behind the chair, leaning on it heavily to get to his feet.

Scizor frowned a little. "Bliss, do you want to spend some time here with him?" He asked. "I have… to run an errand."  
Darkrai tilted his head to one side, confused about the statement. Blissey though, more than understood what he meant, and looked delighted. "Oh Scizor I would be delighted to!" She responded. She turned her eyes on their guest. "I hope you don't mind the company." She added. "We could read together, if you would like?"

Darkrai was baffled. But…. he HAD been enjoying looking at the books… He offered a meek nod.

Scizor nodded. "Alright. I will come back when I am done with my errand."

Darkrai watched as the Guildmaster left the room, leaving the door ajar, while Blissey went to survey the damage done to the picture book.  
He looked at the open door for a long moment, forgetting about the healer as she picked the books up off the floor, and left the damaged one on the desk so it could be repaired later. It was…. very tempting to make a run for it. But…. these people had been….. So kind. Here was warm. And there was food. It… was strange and confused him terribly, but…. This was just…. too nice. He… wanted things to stay like this…!!

And even if he didn't think it was going to last…. It would be nice to enjoy it, for as long as it did.

He turned away from the door and looked at Blissey, who was pulling another book off the shelf. "Have you read this one yet?" She asked him, showing off the cover. It had a picture of three very cutely drawn Duckletts on the cover.  
He shook his head.

"Oh it's a lovely book." She told him. "Would you like to read it? Or I could read it to you?"

Darkrai's eyes went wide. No one had ever… read to him before! He nodded, and gave a growly squeak.  
Blissey smiled at him and trotted back over to the armchair, taking a seat comfortably. The Nightmare King followed after her, and after a moment of hesitation, sat on the rug at her feet, crossing his legs under him.  
She seemed a little surprised at that, but shrugged it off, opened the book and started to read. She tried to not let the owlish expression of wonder he gave her as she read bother her.


	7. Trust

By the time Scizor came back to the room, Blissey had a small pile of books beside her, and was still reading to an enthralled Darkrai. The sight did make him smile somewhat, though if they hadn't had him with them for the last week, it would have looked downright comical.

He stepped into the room and loitered near the door until she had finished the story, before approaching.  
Darkrai was bouncing where he sat, and barked out an excited noise. Blissey giggled. "Another? Why, that has to be at least the fifth one…."

"You look like you are having fun." Scizor piped up.

Darkrai yelped and scrambled back slightly, eyes going wide. Scizor winced. "Ah… I did it again, I am sorry, Darkrai."  
The dark type relaxed once he realised who had come near, sighing.  
Blissey looked up and smiled at the guildmaster. "How was your errand? All done?"  
He nodded. "Yes, Bliss. All done." He confirmed. "Would now be a good time to take Darkrai out?"

Darkrai went tense. Take him out? They…. What?! Why were they….. Going to do that?! This…. Hadn't all come to an end so soon… had it!?

Blissey nodded. "The weather is still nice. I think he would enjoy a little walk outside."

The tension didn't fade, and was joined by a frown. He chuffed at them questioningly.

Scizor trotted over to him and crouched down beside him. "Blissey and I were talking earlier, and we were thinking that it would be good for your recovery to get some exercise." He explained. "So we thought you might like to come for a walk with us in the town?"

The tension slipped out of his body somewhat. Going into town was not a…. Pleasant thought. In this room, Scizor, Blissey, Jumpluff and Aipom he knew. He trusted. But others? Outside? He wasn't so sure about them. People would be afraid. People would run and alert the Queen of Light and then he would be running again. Away from this…. Strange, safe place.

Blissey came up and put a small hand on Scizor's shoulder. The guildmaster looked up at her for a moment, before back at Darkrai. "Are you… afraid, Darkrai?" He asked, softly.

The Nightmare King, in what was habit by now, shocked him, by blushing, a darkish red hue appearing on his cheeks. Then, he nodded slightly.  
So used to hearing stories of this creature's brutality, Scizor half expected Darkrai to be insulted at the question. But he had meekly admitted it instead. It was strange to see. 

"You don't have to worry." He said, trying to be as assuring as possible. "The guild town is a very friendly place. And we will be with you the whole time. I am Guildmaster of this place. Do you know what a Guildmaster is?"

Darkrai looked up, head tilted to one side, but then nodded. He was unsure why he would be asking that question.

Scizor nodded. "Then you can rest assured, that if I say for people to leave you alone, then they will."  
He whimpered, unsure.  
Blissey smiled. "We could go to the bakery, if you wanted." She suggested knowingly.  
He immediately perked up.  
Scizor smiled. "Good idea Bliss! We could get some fresh pastries and enjoy them by the river!"

He bounced excitedly. Oh yes oh YES how he wanted that!

Scizor's smile grew. He stood, and offered the Nightmare King a pincer. "Can I help you up?"

Darkrai tilted his head to one side, and then reached both clawed hands out, grasping at the offered appendage. Scizor pulled backwards, hefting the slightly taller pokemon to his feet.  
Once he was up though, Darkrai didn't let go. It took Scizor a moment to realise because he was using him for balance.   
"Don't worry, you got this." He said with a friendly expression. "Come on, let's head for the front door. You should get your bearings as we go."   
"We'll go at your pace." Blissey added, trotting ahead to open the door for them.

Darkrai nodded uncertainly, but plodded slowly along as Scizor let him out, both hands still clutched around the guildmaster's right claw.

\- - - - - - -

It was achingly slow going. But with Darkrai as weak as he was, there wasn't much to be done. He'd nearly toppled a few times, most notably going down the front steps, but he was still walking forwards, watching his footsteps, making very deliberate, careful movements.

Once they were outside and on the path from the guild hall, Darkrai stopped, and looked around. The sun was shining down at a comfortable warmth, the grass was green and lush, and the air was cool and fresh.  
The town lay downhill from the guild hall. He could see all the houses and shops in it, and… he could also see a very familiar building, on the edge of town closest to them.

A Dream Beacon.

Darkrai shuddered at the sight of it. But then he realised that it wasn't… lit. The pink, humming orb at the top of the lighthouse like structure was dark. Which, he had to admit, was a good start, it meant that those that knew he was here hadn't ratted him out to Cresselia, and she wasn't about to swoop down and try to do him in. He may have felt better, but he still didn't think he would be able to take her in a fight.

Scizor watched the Nightmare King as they plodded to town. In retrospect, it was just as well that he had doused the Beacon before bringing the skittish dark type outside. With the way he had shuddered just looking at the tall building, he could only imagine what the reaction would have been if the soft pink light was still shining down on them.

Slowly, they made their way to the main level of the town. It was fairly typical for guild towns like theirs; buildings on either side of a reasonably wide dirt and cobble road, with houses scattered where ever their owners deigned to build them beyond that. They were a small town but a prosperous one. Bakery, library, a few small food and gear shops, and a gift shop. 

"Oh Sci, perhaps we could get a book from the library?" Blissey remarked as they slowly made their way down the street. "And we could read the book on the grass by the river?"  
Darkrai made a small purr at the idea. He would very much like another book to be read to him, yes please.  
Scizor chuckled at the rather delighted expression the taller pokemon wore. "Sure. Let's do that before we head to the bakery."

Inside the library was dark and cool, with very soft lighting. Darkrai gazed around in awe. He'd never seen so many books before!  
Libraries had never been buildings he had ever bothered with… they had no food, and offered no hiding place, so it had always been something he had skipped over.

A Duskull was floating by the main counter, eye moving from side to side within their skull as they read a book open on the countertop.  
As they entered, the ghost type looked up, and waved a small arm at them, though paused when they realised the guest Scizor and Blissey had with them. They floated down to the counter, clearly afraid.

The Nightmare King let out a small sigh.

"Good morning, Duskull." Scizor said softly, keeping his voice down.  
"G...good morning, Guildmaster." They responded, voice like the soft rattle of bones.  
"We're looking to borrow a book for Darkrai." He told them, noting the surprised expression that overtook the fear in the smaller creature. "Where do you keep your picture books?"  
The befuddlement was startling. "P….picture books, Guildmaster?"

"Yes please." Was the simple reply.

Duskull clearly could not fathom why of all things, the imposing Darkrai would want to look at picture books, but… he was hardly going to deny them!  
"On the back wall over there, Guildmaster." The ghost told them, pointing a stubby arm. "There is… even a place to read them, if you want."  
"Thank you. We are going to get something to eat and read in the sun." Scizor explained. "But thank you for the offer, Duskull."  
He started leading Darkrai towards the section they had been pointed towards.  
"No...problem sir." The ghost type responded, fear well replaced by curiosity as they passed.

Darkrai looked over his shoulder at the Duskull as they moved through the library at the slow plod. Curiosity wasn't an expression that he had experienced pointed in his direction before.  
"Don't worry, Darkrai." Scizor whispered, bringing his attention back to the front. "No one here will hurt you, I promise."  
Darkrai let out a soft growl of concern, frowning slightly, but then nodded. He had put his life in the hands of Scizor and his guild. If he said it was safe… he'd trust that.


	8. Town

It took far longer than Scizor had anticipated for them to select a book at the library. Darkrai was so enamoured with the large selection he wanted to take far more of them than the library would have let them. Also more than they could carry. They managed to talk him down to three books.   
He pet the tall pokemon's arm. "If you like, we can get you your own library membership." He offered. "Then you can come back and read them all whenever you like."

The slow gasp told him Darkrai would like that very much.

They plodded back to the counter, Scizor still helping Darkrai stay upright, and Blissey carrying the book selection.  
The Duskull was still floating at the front counter, though still paying close attention to the small group, rather than having returned to their book. "Did you… find what you were looking for?" They asked, softly.

Scizor chuckled. "Eventually. Darkrai is very keen." He told him. "Can we sign him up for his own library membership?"  
The red eye would have fallen out of the small skull had it been able. "H...his own membership!?" He squeaked. "W...why?"  
Scizor glanced at Darkrai, and frowned, seeing the dejected expression on the taller creature's face. He huffed at Duskull. "So he can borrow books, Duskull." He said warningly.

The small ghost winced. "O...Okay… sure." They floated behind the counter, and reappeared a moment later with a piece of paper and a quill pen. "He… will just need to fill out this form."  
Scizor coaxed Darkrai closer to the counter. "Come on, just a little form and then you can get your own books!"  
Darkrai frowned a little, but nodded. He took the Swanna feather quill from the ghost and looked at the paper on the counter.

The pause was awkward.

Blissey had been mostly quiet up until now, content to simply encourage her patient from time to time. But now she was watching his face as he squinted at the paper, expression pulled into a longsuffering frown.  
"Darkrai dear…" She said softly. "...Can you not read?"  
Darkrai perked up in alarm, offering an indignant chuff. He could read! A… bit.  
While the Duskull shrank down at the sudden, snarled noise, Blissey and Scizor were used to it. "That's not… very convincing dear." Blissey chided gently.

He whimpered and looked away, ashamed. It wasn't his fault. Words were fuzzy. And he'd never been in the one place long enough to really learn. The small amount he did know was just what he had been able to pick up here and there.

Blissey smiled and put the books down on the counter. "Here, let me help you fill it out." She offered, holding a hand out, requesting the quill.  
Darkrai sighed, and handed it over, looking rather upset.   
Duskull was once again, watching him with apprehensive curiosity and surprise. 

Blissey pulled over the form. "Now, let's see here." She said cheerfully. "Name… Darkrai." She spoke as she wrote down the letters. "Address… oh…" She looked up at Scizor. "Shall I… just put the Guild hall for now?"  
Scizor nodded. "Yes, that will do for now."  
Darkrai sighed softly. For now. He hated that. It meant they were planning on kicking him out eventually. But he liked it there. With them. It was safe!  
Blissey noticed the sound. She looked up at him. "Unless you have another home….?" She ventured.  
Darkrai looked away with a small shake of the head. Blissey frowned slightly, but continued to add details to the sheet.

A few more swishes of the elegant pen, and she had finished it, sliding it back across to the librarian ghost.  
They accepted the items back, and started filling out a library card. "Okay. I'll sign these out in his name, then."  
"Thank you, Duskull." Scizor said with a smile. "He can't say so but I am sure he appreciates it."  
The little ghost smiled at that, at least.

A few minutes later, they were leaving the library, Darkrai holding onto Scizor's claw with one hand, and looking at the little card he had been handed with the other. So… this is what his name looked like…? Different to what he expected. 

"Here is our next stop!" Blissey announced, making the tall dark type look up.  
He offered a squeal of excitement. The bakery!

They headed inside, and the fragrance of fresh bread and pastries hit the Nightmare King's senses in the most delightful way. He'd not been in a bakery when the ovens were on since he was tiny!

Behind the counter was a Delphox, wearing an apron but still with a dusting of flour in their red and yellow fur. "Ah, Guildmaster!" She greeted as the trio entered. "Doctor." She added, smiling at Blissey.  
Then her red eyes turned on the third member of the group. "Oh… ah…" She glanced at the other two, who were giving her rather stern expressions. "...Hello. W...welcome to my bakery." She greeted nervously.

He raised a nervous hand and offered a small wave with his clawed fingers.

"Del, this is Darkrai." Scizor said, motioning to the tall dark type still clutching onto one of his claws. "He's staying with us for the time being."  
"Oh, I… I see."

Blissey took Darkrai's hands from Scizor, and started helping him towards the display cabinet, where a whole range of fresh pies, pastries and breads were sitting ready for purchase.  
While the nervousness of the owner had upset him in a sort of expected way, he just couldn't help but lean into the glass of the cabinet, and gaze with sparkling wide eyes at the options.

Delphox watched in wonder. Scizor simply chuckled. "He adores pastries." He told her. "We're after one each. My buy."  
The fire fox started and looked at the Guildmaster. "Oh, h...how nice of you, Guildmaster!" She responded. "What will you be having?"  
"I'll get the cricket roll, warmed." He told her. "Bliss I think likes the pink eclair."  
She nodded and pulled out some tongs and a paper tray. "And… for him…?" She looked back at the guest, and had to giggle a little at the sight.   
He was almost drooling onto the glass, blue eyes flicking from one pastry to the next. Scizor suspected that it was much like the books situation. He would have taken them all if they let him. "I think I might have to choose for him or we'll be here all day."   
Delphox smiled broadly. "Ah, alright. What will it be, then?"  
"How about the custard filled donut for today. Warm." 

Darkrai managed to pull his eyes from the food in the cabinet as Delphox stepped up behind it, into his field of view. He watched her carefully pull a long round pastry with some sort of brown, lumpy insides, and a very large custard donut from the cabinet and place it on the tray. She then put a paper lid on the tray, covering the pastries, before placing one hand on the top, the other on the bottom. She closed her eyes for a moment, and Darkrai could feel the heat coming off them.

When she was satisfied, she then placed the tray on the top of the display cabinet, before taking a pink pastry from the shelf and placing it inside a white paper bag.  
She then turned back to Scizor. "Let's see… that will be five coins today please Guildmaster."

He nodded and pulled five round, copper coloured coins out of a small pouch decorated with a Ledyba design, and handed them over to the baker. "Here we are."  
"Thanks very much."  
The red bug type smiled at her, and scooped up the tray. "Yours is in that bag, Bliss."  
Blissey smiled and took the bag in one hand, and offered the other to Darkrai. "Between these pastries and the books, our hands are quite full!" She told him.

Darkrai blushed and offered a small, thankful chuff.


End file.
